Pumping apparatus



R. H. FLETCHER PUMPING APPARATUS Filed Feb.

` Mar. 3, 1925.

18r 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet TOR. her

VEM N M T. T. A

` R.H.FLETCHER PUMPING APPARATUS Filed Feb. .18, 19.24 32 SheetS-Sheet 2PATENT soFFicE.'

RICHARD H. FLETCHER, 0F DENVER, COLORADO.

PUMPING APPARATUS.

Application filed February 18, 1924. Serial No. 693,656.

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, RICHARD' H. FLETCH- nu, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State ofColorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in PumpingApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates topumps and its primary object is to provide asimple apparatus for raising water and other liquids from a deep sourceof supply, in which the action of a mechanically operated suction pumpis augmented by a hydraulically produced partial vacuum.

It is a distinctive feature of my invention that the hydraulic suctionincreases in ratio to the elevation above the source of supply to whichthe water is raised and it is :t'or this reason particularly adapted fordrawing water or oil out of mines, wells and other deep bores orexcavations.

An embodiment of my invention has been illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings iii the several views of which like parts are similarlydesignated and in Which- Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of apumping apparatus made in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2, a longitudinal section of the lower portion of the apparatus,drawn to an enlarged scale;

Figure 3,'a transverse section on the line 3-3, Figure 2;

Figure t, a similar section taken along the line 4-4, Figure 1;

Figure 5, a section in the plane designated by the line 5 5, Figure 1;

Figure 6, a section similar to that shown in Figure 2, of a modifiedconstruction of the lower portion of the apparatus;

Figure 7 a section on the line 7-7, Figure 6;

Figure 8, a transverse section on the line 8 8, Figure 7, lookingupwardly;

Figure 9, a section taken on the same line looking in the oppositedirection; and

Figure 10, a section' on the line 10-107 Figure 7.

Referring first to Figuresl 1 to 5 of the drawings, 'my inventioncomprises a stand pipe 5 which extends at its lower end below the levelof the body of Water or other liquid to be raised and which may besupported and heldin an upright position by any suitable means.

The pipe has in its bottom an opening 6 normally closed by a gravitysuction-valve 7 the upward movement of which is restricted by atransverse strap 8L i Mounted in axial coincidence with the stand pipeis a suction pipe 9y of smaller diameterwhich at its upper end connectswith the ingress opening of a suction pump 10.

The pump which is installed in super* posed relation to the stand pipemay be of any suitable character or construction and its mechanism andmode of operation have not been illustrated in the drawings. The egressopening ofthe pump is through the medium of a conduit 12 connected withan inlet at the upper end of the stand pipe and included in this conduitis a small reservoir y13 which has an overiiowipipe 141 for thedischarge of the water raised from the source of supply in the operationof the apparatus as will hereinafter explained.

The suction pipev 9 is at vitsilower end supported upon a transversepartition 15 spaced from the bottom of the stand pipe, and itliasadjacent said partition a plurality of ports 16 for its'connectionwith the interior ofthe stand pipe. v 4 I An vopen ended nozzle 17having its axis coincident with that of the'. suction pipe, passesthrough a central opening of the partition and has its lower end a shortdistanceV above the bottom of the stand pipe.

The nozzle is braced at ,its upper end by cleats 18 fastened to thelsuction pipe, and interiorly of the nozzle is a suitablecontrivance forthe prevention of counteracting currents, which in the drawings has beenrepresented by a concentric tube 19 of smallerv diameter fastenedinsidethe nozzle by braces 20, and a rod 21 extending in the axis ofthenozzle and supported on the transverse strap which limits the upward"movement of the suction valve; i

The tube 19 extends a short distance above the upper end of the nozzle17 and the rod 21 extends above thel upper extremity of the tube. Y i

In the operation of my invention, the

, stand pipe is installed in an upright position with its lower 'endimmersed in the body of water at the bottom of a well or otherexcavation, which in the drawings has been designated by the referencenumeral Q2, and the entire apparatus including the reservoir ils filledwith water or other liquid.

be more fully The weight of the liquid in the stand pipe, the conduit l2and the reservoir 13, exerts an upward pressure on the liquid in thesuction pipe 9 which is constantly withdrawn by the action of the pumpand the lcurrent passing through the ports at the lower end of thesuction pipe produces a partial vacuum around and at the upper end ofthe nozzleY which in co-operation with the suction of thepump and thenatural pressure of subinergence causes an inflow of water from thesource of supply past the suction valve 7.

The water, including the amount drawn from the source, passes throughthe pump intok the conduit 12 and the reservoir 13 from where thesurplus is discharged through the overflow 14.

It will thus be evident that with the system of pipes filled with aliquid as stated hereinbefore, and with the pump in continuousoperation, a circulatory movement of the liquid'body is eifectedwith aconstant discharge of a surplus equal to the amount of liquid drawn fromthe source, and that the capacity of the apparatus is governedA by theheight of the stand pipe and the elevation ofthe reservoiiabove theliquid' level in the source, augmentary to the power of the pump and thepressure of submergence.

The pipe and the rod inside the nozzle serve to prevent the liquidmovingupwardly in the nozzle by hydraulic force, from caving over theupper edge ofthe nozzle, thereby preventing the formation of adownwardly directed countercurrent and aid-` ing in producing anuninterrupted and unimpeded upward liow of the liquid.

It willbe apparentthat the reservoir has not the function of a storagetank but is provided merely to receive and discharge` the surplus ofliquid represented by the amount drawn from the source and itjwillbeunderstood that the arrangement of the. es-

sential parts of the apparatus may be variedl without departing from thespirit of the invention.

In the construction illustrated in Figures 6 to 10, for example, theparts are arranged so that the partial vacuum which in the iirstdescribed form of the invention was created exteriorly of the nozzlethrough which the water drawn from the source of supply, passesintov thesuction pipe, is now formed inteiiorly of the nozzle while the waterraised past the valve 7, enters the suction pipe at the lower endthereof and iiows through the space exteriorly lof the nozzle.

To accomplish this purpose, it is of course necessary that the water inthe stand pipe which causes the hydraulic force by which the partialvacuum is produced, be coinpelled to enter the nozzle instead of thespace around the same and that the lower end of the suction pipe be indirect connection with the space in the bottom of the stand pipe abovethe suction opening G.

This result is obtained by providing the partition 15 at the lower endof the suc-tion pipe 9 with ports 23 which connect the interior ofthestand pipe with a transve se duct 24 formed at the iower end of thenozzle 17,' as' clearlyshown in Figure 6, and the lower end of thesuction pipe is placed in direct communication with the bottom portionof the stand pipe above the suction opening 6, by passages at oppositesides of the duct as illustrated in Figure 7 lilith the apparatus filledwith liquid as before, the hydraulic force causes the liquid in thestand pipe to enter the nozzle 17 through theports z3 and the duct 2liand by replacement of the liquid exhausted from the suction pipe in theoperation of the pump l0, produces a partial vacuum around the upper endof the nozzle which augmenta the pump action in drawing liquid from thesource of supply past the suction valve 7, and into the suctionpipe 9through the passages 25 at opposite sides of the duct.

The tube i9 and the rod 2l which in the form shown in Figure 2,constitute the contrivance opposing the formation of countercurrents inthe suction pipe have not been shown in the construction illustratedinFigures 6 to l0, but it is obvious that'they may be appliedtoperformtheir function in the manner hereinbefore described, without any changein the arrangement or -form of the parts except the provision of anaperture in the bottom ofthe duct 24 for the passage of therod. i

Having thus described mv invention, what I claim and desire to securebyLetters Patent is:

l. Pumping apparatus comprising asta-nd pipe having a valve-controlledintake opening at its lower end, a pump havingl an ingress and anegress, a suction pipe connected to the ingress of the pump, a conduitconnecting the egress of the pump with the stan'd'pipe at the upper endthereof, a reservoir included in the conduit and having an outlet'forthe discharge of surplus liquid, a nozzle in the suction pipe at thelower endvthereof, above the intake opening of thc stand pipe, a liquidbody in the pipes and the conduit, the stand pipe and the suction pipeintercommunicating to admit to the suction pipe a current caused bydownward movement of the liquid in the stand pipe,

and means to check convergence of liquid moving througlithe suction pipepast the nozzle.

2. Pumping apparatus comprising` a stand pipe having a valve-controlledintalre-opeir ing at its lower end, a pump having an ingress and anegress, an uprightsuction pipe,

in the stand pipe, connected at its upper end to the ingress of thepump, a. conduit connecting the egress of the pump with the stand pipeat the upper end thereof, an upright open-ended nozzle in the suctionpipe at the lower end. thereof, above the intake-opening of the standpipe, a liquid bo-dy in the pipes and the conduit and means for thedischarge of surplus liquid, the stand pipe and the suction pipeintercommunicating to admit to the suction pipe a current caused bydownward movement ot' the liquid in the stand pipe, and a memberextending above the nozzle to check convergence of liquid moving throughthe suction 1 e. p Pumping apparatus `comprising a stand pipe having a.valve-controlled intake opening at its lower end, a pump having aningress and an egress, an upright suction pipe in the stand pipe,connected at its upper end to the ingress of the pump, a conduitconnecting the egress of the pump with the stand pipe at the upper endthereof, an upright open-ended nozzle in the suction pipe at the lowerend thereof, above the intake-opening of the stand pipe, a liquid bodyin the pipes and the conduit and means for the discharge of surplusliquid, the stand pipe and the suction pipe intercommunicating to admitto the suction pipe a currentcaused by downward movement of the liquidin the stand pipe, and a plurality of members of different diametersextending at diierent distances above the nozzle to check convergence ofliquid moving through the suction pipe.

4. Pumping apparatus comprising a stand pipe having a valve-controlledintake opening at its lower end, a pump having an ingress and an egress,an upright suction pipe in the stand pipe, connected at its upper end tothe ingress of the pump, a conduit connecting the egress of the pumpwith the stand pipe at the upper end thereof, an upright open-endedVnozzle in the suction pipe at the lower end thereof, above theintakeppening of the stand pipe, a partition around the nozzle, dividingthe stand pipe beneath the suction pipe, a liquid body in the pipes andthe conduit, and means for the discharge of surplus liquid, the standpipe communicating with the suction pipe abo-ve the partition to admitto the suction pipe a current caused by downward movement of the liquidin the stand pipe.

ln testimony whereof I have aixed my signature.

RICHARD H. FLETCHER.

